Spring reel



Nov. 15, 1927. l 1,648,948

, B. G. JOHNSON SPRING REEL Filed Aug. 4. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 15, 1927.

B. G. JOHNSON SPRING REEL Filed Aim. 4. 192s 2 shawls-snm 2- /7I/e Cim/je Mie Patented Nov.A l5, 192.7.

v:warren As'm'ras PATENT -caricia.

BERNARD e. JOHNSON, or nno'oxrIELn, ILLINOIS, assIeNon To enIGsBY-ennnow- IIINDs co., or cnIcnao,l ILLINoIs, A conronA'rIoN orILLINoIs.

SPRING naar..

appnembn mea agua 4.1923. semi No. 655,629.

The invention relates to spring reels, and is herein shown and described as appliedto that class of -these devices which are designed'to have a conductor wound `upon and from said reel to thereby allow the cord or v.conductor to vbe retracted 4or extended and vermit a device such as a lamp or' other i mem er to be arranged\at variousl locations when this is-desred or found necessa .rewinding the 'cord' upon the reel,l which means will permit the use of a' comparatively lon cord and insure, the rewinding ofthe L l5 cor or conductor upon the reel.

Itis another object of the invention to employ a plurality of reel actuating elements which are connected in series 'with each other. v Itis a further object to employ a plurality of reel' actuating elements of a resili- -ent ors'pring character, one of which contains a relatively larger number of turns than the other. p v It is an additional objectto arrange one i spring element withinthe other' so asv to provide a compact structure capable of permitting the reel to be rotated suiciently to.

' allow a relatively long' conductor to .be unwound therefrom and rewound thereon. 4

Itis a further feature of the lnventlon to l provide a construction capable of resulting 1n the above advantage which is simple in i construction, compact, and is not liable to be rendered useless.

It'is an added object of the invention to provide the reel with a means whereby the electrical connections between the conductor carried by the reel and conductors leading 40 from and connectedl to the source of current may be made land maintained during the winding and unwinding of the cord.

In addition, -it is an object to provide they reel with means for releasably locking it against rotation in any of its various posi- The invention will be explained in detail `and more readily understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which disclose one arrangement' whereby the invention may be accomplished, it being obvious, however, thatv chan es and p modifications may be resorted to wit put de-Y It is one of the prime ob'e'cts of. t ein` vention to employ a means or restoring or parting from the spirit of the appended claims :formingv a part hereof.

In the 'drawings,- l Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section of a device embodyingone form ofthe invention.

Fig. 2 'is a section taken on Iline 2-2'01 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 -is a section taken on line 3--3 of 11 and 12, which together with the casing uprovlde a closure for certain other elements of the structure.

The casing 10 isapert-ured at 13 andf14 toall'ow the conductors 15 and 16 -to enter and be connected with the brushes 17 and 18, which latter are in electrical-connection with the eXtensible' conductor 19, whichis -wound vupon the reel 20. The casing is further provided with an-aperture 21 through which an end of the conductor 19 is passed, tothe latter of which any desired device 22, such as a `lam socket, cigar lighter, etc., mayobe attached'.

The casing has a bracket 23 secured thereto for the purpose of allowing the attachment of the device to any desirable portion of avehicle or other structure, and said casing is formed at its opposite ends to roduce the recesses 24 and 25 within whlch the brushes 17 and 18 and other elements of the structure are confined, they being housed and protected by means of the caps 11 and 12 which are associated with the ends of the casing.

The walls of said recesses are apertured at 26to allow the opposite ends of the spring 4barrel 27 to be l `passed therethrough and be lsupported by e caps 11. and 12. This sprlng barrel has the reel 20 mounted thereon,'and has a portion 28 thereof formed to provide a-strap through which the strands of the conductor 19 are passed to allow them to be respectively connected to the collector '3l- 32. These, collector rlngs are insulated from the spring barrel' through the medium of the insulating collars 3333.

The spring barrel 27 has a plurality of coiled springs arranged therein, mounted in series with each other, are wound oppositely to each other, contain a relatively `different number of turns or coilsand are arranged concentri'cally and disposed one i to hold the -of the spring '.\which is wound oppositely to the spring 35,-

sprin within the other. l

The spring barrel has one end thereof provided with a slot or aperture 34 by which one end of the outermost coiled spring 3,5 is held.

The opposite end of said spring is connected 36 of a tubular member 37 to the flange which is mounted for rotation u on the annular shoulder 38 of a shaft 39, t e latter of which is yprovided with a flange 40 of substantially the same diameter as the flange 36 and provides a support for the adjacentl end barrel 27. A coiled spring 41,

is arranged longitudinally of -the shaft '39 and has one, end thereof connected tothe tubular member 36, and hasits opposite end fastened to the'shaft-39, the latter having its opposite'ends provided with the keys 42 and 43, which arelmserted-.into apertures l111-415, provided in the caps or closures 11 and 12,

shaft against rotation. The structure is provided with a -means for releasably holding the spring barrel against rotation. This means is clearly shown in Fig. -6, and includes the holding dogs 46 and 47 which are carried by one of the caps, such as 12, and cooperate'with'apertures 1S-48 barrel As efore stated, a spring element such as 41 is arranged within the diameter of another sprin as 35, the outer sprin containing a. re atively larger number o turns or coils than the inner spring 41 and is conwhich are pzrovided in the end of the 2 turns and by uslng larger wire on the outer spring thetension upon the spool is more even. It is to be understood that I may employ a greater number of springs and in doing so, connect them in series, each spring being wound opposite to its preceding 'one' and preferably gradually increasing the thickiiess of wire used. That is, each spring is of a heavier wire than the next innerpreceding one.

From the foregoing explanation .of the structure, and particularly the arrangement and operation of the colled springs, it is manifest that a relatively longer cord may be employed and its being rewound upon the reel insured.

Having thus described thevinvention, what I claim and desire to cover by United States Letters Patent is:

1. Inga device of the' character described, the combination of a reel upon and from which an extension cord is adapted `tobe wound, and means including a lurality of concentrically arranged longitu inally dis-- posed, oppositely wound spring elements of relatively different tension which cooperate with each other and are operable to cause said cord to be. wound upon said reel.

2. A -reel comprising a casing-, a hollow drum rotatably supported therein upon l.

which a flexible element is arranged 'to be wound vand unwound, a tubular rotatable member extending longitudinally through the hollow drum, a coil -spring encircling the tubular member havin one end fixed to the drum-and its other en anchored, and a seclond coil spring wound reversely to the first mentioned spring and supported within the tubular member and having one end fixed to the latter and its opposite end anchored, such springs being reversely placed under tension upon unwinding of the flexible element so that upon release of the same both springs will simultaneously act upon the drum to rotate the latter ,in a direction to rewind the flexible element.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my hand this 28th day of June, 1923.

. BERNARD Gr. JOHNSON. 

